PERSONAL GLANCE• Name: Shawn Patrick Tobin• Age: 48• Occupation: Incoming Dade County Schools superintendent• Hometown: Chicago
The man tapped to head Dade County Schools says he’s ready to face a year of learning a new job, ongoing financial struggles and implementing federal Race to the Top reforms.
Shawn Patrick Tobin, who is to replace retiring Superintendent Patty Priest, was Dade Board of Education members’ first and only choice as a finalist. The board officially will vote on Tobin sometime in the next couple of weeks.
“I’m looking forward to it,” Tobin said Thursday. “I was reading over the [federal School Improvement Grant] – about 150 pages – where I really got a better understanding of Dade County. I’ve been reading information on Race to the Top, too.”
He called the review “an interesting endeavor,” but said he still has lots to study.
At 48, Tobin says he hopes this job is his last stop. He’d like to retire in Dade County, he said.
Tobin will leave a job as principal of Central High School in Carroll County, Ga. In his 23-year career, he has been a middle and high school assistant principal, an alternative school director and a middle school coach and teacher, he said.
Tobin said his military experience – he was a sergeant in the signal company of the U.S. Army’s Special Forces from 1982 to 1985 and in the reserves from 1990 to 1992 – helped him become a better leader and taught him about the world.
“Everybody wants the same things for their kids and families,” he said.
Board Chairwoman Carolyn Bradford said 45 applications were reviewed in November and December.
Bradford and board members said after a called meeting Dec. 23 that Tobin was “the clear choice.”
Tobin, when officially voted in, will join the Dade County staff early this year to work with Priest and to get to know teachers, administrators and staff members.
Ronnie Williams, retired Carrollton City Schools superintendent, has known Tobin since he came there as a teacher in 1994.
“I could tell he was one of those rising-star types,” Williams said with a laugh.
“He’s a great guy, and I think it’ll be a good fit for him and Dade County,” he said. “I think they’re lucky to get him, and he’s fortunate to get the job.”